The Question
by Avinaya La Salle
Summary: Adrien has a very important question to ask Marinette's parents.


**Author's Note:** I present to you fluff! Please enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Miraculous or any of its characters. I'm simply borrowing them for my own entertainment.

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 **The Question**

Had Tom Dupain always been so large? The giant of a man sat in an oversized armchair that somehow looked small with his enormous frame propped against it. A light blue shirt covered his big barrel chest, and bulky biceps, made possible from years of kneading dough and carrying heavy sacks of flour, peeked out from under the short sleeves. His lips were drawn in a serious line under his mustache, and the look in his eyes made Adrien swallow instinctively. In the four years Adrien had known Marinette, he had never found her father more intimidating than at that moment. Even when they had first started dating.

Three years had passed since their first date, set up by none other than Nino and Alya. Shortly after Nino had started seeing Alya, he began going out of his way to include him and Marinette in outings and the like, always pointing the pigtailed girl out to Adrien. At first Adrien thought it was just because Marinette was Alya's best friend, but as time passed, he suspected their friends were trying to set them up. He couldn't tell Nino that he already had someone he liked without the risk of revealing his secret identity. Not that Ladybug ever thought of Cat Noir that way. Or so he'd thought.

After another failed attempt to declare his feelings to his masked lady, Adrien had been a little down. Nino must have noticed because he suggested they all meet up later to grab a bite to eat. Adrien and Marinette had shown up, but Nino and Alya didn't. They waited for a while, Marinette keeping a careful distance from him, before texting their friends to find out what was going on.

"Huh," Adrien said, staring at his phone. "Looks like Nino got roped into helping his mom with something."

Marinette nodded nervously. "Alya said she had to babysit her younger siblings."

The poor girl looked like she was going to pass out, so Adrien put a hand on her shoulder. "I think our friends played a little trick on us." He offered her a dazzling smile. "May as well get something to eat while we're here." Unfortunately, his attempt to put her at ease only seemed to make her more uncomfortable, but she still nodded woodenly.

"Y-yeah."

They'd found a table, and when the waiter came around, they both ordered tea. The waiter listed off several different types of tea for them to choose from, and trying to relieve some of the tension, Adrien commented, "That's quite the varie- _tea_." Marinette's eyes widened with surprise, and when Adrien winked, she let out a timid giggle.

They'd placed their drink order, and silence fell on the pair. Couples surrounded them, all in different stages of enjoying their meals and each other's company. It was a strange thing for Adrien. He'd never really considered Marinette as more than a friend, but sitting there with her, clearly set up on a date by their friends, his mind kept comparing her to his spotted partner. She was brave, always standing up for her classmates when Chloe acted out. She was responsible and a talented young designer, as shown by her time as their class representative and her win of his father's junior fashion contest. Even her eyes were the same brilliant blue, if a little less beautiful than his Lady's, but he might have been a little biased on that.

The waiter returned promptly with their beverages, and when he'd left, Adrien raised his cup to Marinette. "A toast to our absen- _tea_ friends who are in _steep_ trouble when next we see them."

To his relief, Marinette had let out a genuine laugh at that and finally relaxed. "They're definitely in _hot water_ ," she joked back.

From there, they'd fallen into an enjoyable harmony with each other. While the girl across from him still showed a touch of awkwardness from time to time, a mesmerizing confidence would shine through at other times, reminding Adrien eerily of the trait he adored so much in Ladybug. Their food arrived, and they settled into a companionable quiet until Marinette said something he would never forget.

"How's your fish? _Paw_ -sitively _purr_ -fect?" She winked, and Adrien nearly spit out his mouthful of food. Had she just made a cat pun? And that wink! Adrien had seen it many times before... from Ladybug!

"What did you say?"

Marinette paled and backpedaled, "Er, uh, I mean, just how is your food?" She quickly took a quick gulp of her tea, nearly choked on it, and coughed. "S-sorry," she said when she had recovered, "you reminded me of someone else for a second."

"Oh?" was all Adrien had been able to manage.

Marinette had suddenly found her fingers quite fascinating, and a light blush crept up her neck, dusting her cheeks a pretty shade of pink. "Uh, yeah. A friend of mine. He's always making jokes like that and pretending to flirt." She quickly added, "Oh, but there's nothing like that between us. He's just joking, not serious at all. Besides, I like yo-" She stopped, eyes wide with panic. "Yogurt!" she blurted. "Y-yeah, I like yogurt, and he's, uh, allergic?" she finished lamely.

A very Cat Noir grin spread across Adrien's face. " _Purr_ -haps his _felines_ for you are true." His expression turned serious, and he fixed her with an intense gaze. "What would you say then, _milady_?"

Marinette sputtered, her eyes as big as their dinner plates. Confirming his suspicions, she stammered quietly, "C-Ca-"

"Shh," Adrien cut her off, finger to his lips, and winked mischievously.

After that moment, the two practically became inseparable, much to the surprise and satisfaction of Nino and Alya. Tikki, despite her warnings that no one must find out about Ladybug's secret identity, was ecstatic when she found out the love of Marinette's life was also Ladybug's trusted partner. She knew it would strengthen their bond and help them become more coordinated as a team. Plus, she was a love bug at heart. Plagg, on the other hand, didn't seem to care one way or the other - that is, until Marinette began bringing him different kinds of Camembert. It was amazing how quickly he changed his tune after that.

The sound of a throat being cleared brought Adrien back to the present. Tom held a hand out and gestured at the couch nearby. "Why don't you have a seat, son. Sabine will be out with tea in a moment." The man's voice, though jovial and kind, did nothing to soothe the younger man's frayed nerves. Adrien sat on the couch, his back rigid, and tried his best not to fidget. At modeling shoots, he could stand perfectly still until the photographer was satisfied, but under Tom's curious gaze, it was all he could do not to squirm like a cat on a hot tin roof.

As if on cue, Sabine walked into the room from the kitchen, carrying a tray laden with pastries and three delicate floral teacups. The petite woman shared her husband's cheerful demeanor, and a gentle smile graced her lips, crinkling her gray eyes in its sincerity. She set a cup and saucer on the coffee table in front of Adrien, and the soothing scent of chamomile tickled his nose. It always amazed him how Marinette's Mom had the uncanny knack of knowing just what was needed at any given time. Like a calming cup of chamomile.

Adrien picked up the teacup and held it between his hands, allowing the warmth to seep into his skin. It was a little too warm to be comforting, but he didn't mind. It helped him stay focused on the task at hand.

Sabine tucked the now empty tray up under her arms and sat lightly on the arm of her husband's chair. "So what was it you wanted to talk to us about, Adrien dear?" she enquired in her sweet, lilting voice.

The moment of truth had arrived. Suddenly, Adrien's throat dried up, and his tongue felt swollen and dead in his mouth. He swallowed hard, but when that didn't help, he quickly took a large gulp of the tea. It was still a little too hot, and he simply succeeded in scalding his tongue and throat rather than helping anything. Marinette's parents watched in dismay as he choked on the hot liquid and exchanged a weighted look.

When he finally recovered, Adrien took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he considered how to start. Should he just ask and get it over with? Or should he try to explain first then ask? He had planned out exactly what he'd wanted to say before he'd arrived at the Dupain-Cheng household, but now that the moment was upon him, his mind drew a blank.

Adrien and Marinette had been accepted into the universities of their choice. They wouldn't be going to the same one but had made sure they would be close enough to see each other often. Unfortunately, their universities were on the opposite side of Paris from their homes. It would be a long commute, and rather than pay the inflated costs of room and board at their schools, Marinette had suggested they find an apartment and move in together. It was a good idea. It would solve Marinette's financial concerns, cut back on their commute, and allow them to spend plenty of time with each other even if they were busy with schoolwork or cleaning up after Hawkmoth's akumas. It was also the logical next step in their relationship. Unfortunately, something about it just didn't sit right with Adrien.

Perhaps he was too much of a gentleman, despite his roguish behavior as Cat Noir. He felt something was missing, and her parents should have a say in the matter. He wasn't even sure Marinette had broached the subject with them or not. That was ok by him, though; he wanted to ask his question first.

So there he was. Marinette was out with Alya, so it was just him and her parents and the lump in his throat (and Plagg, of course, who was lounging in Adrien's shirt pocket, listening intently for fodder to torment his chosen with later).

"Are you alright?" Tom leaned forward a little, concern softening his features.

"Er, yes, I, uh... You see..." Adrien let out a heavy sigh, steeled his nerves, and met his girlfriend's parents' eyes. "Mr Dupain, Ms Cheng, I love your daughter very much. I can't imagine being with anyone else, and I'd like to spend the rest of my life with her." He paused, whether to let his words sink in or to muster up his courage, he wasn't sure. Finally, after another deep breath, he asked solemnly, "May I have your permission to ask Marinette to marry me?"

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 **A/N:** Please let me know how you liked it and if you'd like to see more like this. Thanks for reading!


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